Author Stephen Marlowe died 22 February 2008 of myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone-marrow disorder. Born Milton Lesser in Brooklyn, New York, on 7 August 1928, he legally changed his name to Stephen Marlowe. He also wrote under several pseudonyms, including Alexander Blade, Ralph Burke, Adam Chase, Lee Francis, Andrew Frazer, Darius John Granger, Jason Ridgway, S.M. Tenneshaw, and C.H. Thames. He also wrote the 1961 novel Dead Man’s Tale under the widely shared penname Ellery Queen.
Marlowe began his career as a pulp writer, and wrote more than 50 novels. He was probably best known for his private eye series featuring Chester Drum, which combined elements of the hard-boiled detective story and the international espionage thriller. Drum made his first appearance in The Second Longest Night (1955).
His science fiction and fantasy writing included at least seven novels, as well as the collection Drum Beat. He wrote Stadium Beyond the Stars, about a multi-planet Olympics, and also edited the anthology Looking Forward.
In addition to his published work, Marlowe founded the Writer-in-Residence program at William & Mary, his alma mater, in 1974. Marlowe received France’s Prix Gutenberg du Livre in 1988 and the Life Achievement Award of the Private Eye Writers of America in 1997.
He is survived by his second wife, Ann Marlowe (whom he married in 1964); sister, Carolyn Frucht, daughters, Deirdre Marlowe, and Robin Marlowe and grandchildren Marlowe and Adam Z. Boukis.
A private memorial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Authors League Fund, 31 East 32nd Street, 7th floor, New York, NY 10016.